Hands down, one of my top three favorite things about living in Charleston is all the art. I can’t say that owning a big house fits well with my personality, but admittedly, the one great argument for it in my book is the potential for turning it into a gallery full of beautiful and unique pieces of art. For now, though, I settle for window shopping in the local galleries and attempting to gain some skills by visual osmosis.
I remember the early promos for Jersey Shore highlighting the cast and their excessive amount of hair products. The press made fun of their accents, hair styles, and fist-pumping ways. When the show went to air, people scoffed at their excessive drinking, inappropriate behavior, and lack of sexual discretion, especially on the part of the male cast members. Some thought the show would be a gigantic bust. It was much too ridiculous after all. But it was like a fiery train wreck. We couldn't look away. Saturday Night Live welcomed "Snooki" to Weekend Update with Seth Meyers. You know you've hit it big when SNL uses you for material. All of a sudden, members of the Jersey Shore cast were making over $100,000 an episode. I don't know if that makes things more or less ridiculous. Regardless, the show was a hit. All that partying paid. As the new Bravo show Southern Charm comes to air at 10:00 p.m. tonight in Charleston, the city it uses as its backdrop, I can't help but wonder if it is simply a gussied up version of Jersey Shore, with the bottom line being a buck.
I’m new to South Carolina, but South Carolina’s not new to me. Growing up a Louisiana girl, my family vacationed here almost every summer for six years. My parents surprised me with my first car on Edisto Island a few months before my sixteenth birthday. I saw a waterfall for the first time on Lake Keowee, which is also where I made my first, and last, attempt at water skiing. I took my first official college visit at Furman University. I fell in love with King Street shopping early on, and it still makes my heart race at twenty-two. I surfed in Charleston, played golf in Hilton Head, and sank in the pluff mud in Beaufort.
There was quite a build up to the last 36 hours of wintry wonder here in the Lowcountry. Gas tanks were filled. Folks checked their stock of batteries and bought firewood, bottled water, bread, and milk (though I've never understood why one buys milk when they expect the power is going to go out). Jim Cantore of the Weather Channel arrived. Social media went nuts. People created hashtags like #Snowmageddon, #SnowMyGosh, and #SnO-M-G, when really ones like #IceIceBaby would have been more appropriate. Charleston closed schools before the first drop of precipitation arrived and sent her workers home early. And then we waited. It was probably a good idea.
Put down your weapons, residents of New York, Chicago, New Orleans, San Fransico, and the like. I'm not saying you don't have fine cuisine or a celebrated culinary history. But, give Charleston her due. This is a great place to eat.
New Years is often a good time to reflect on what the past year has taught us. Why not jump on the bandwagon? Here are some of the things Traveling Ink learned in 2013. 1. Baby turkey vultures nest on the ground. There's no need to "rescue" them when you find them there. 2. It is ill-advised to break-in Chacos while climbing your first fourteener. 3. The Cetus LV is the Cadillac of kayaks. Don't test drive it first unless you have a few thousand to spend on your self-propelled cruiser. You will just be disappointed. 4. Poogan's Porch makes a mean fried chicken. 5. Shooting skeet and lighting retired Christmas trees on fire is an entertaining way to spend a birthday (or any day) in the south. 6. Camp Happy Days is an amazing place. 7. And, if you are ever lucky enough to happen on a giant pod of dolphins, by all means, jump in the stinkin' water.
